Winch Launch Fatality

On Jun 23, 10:10*am, T8 wrote:
On Jun 23, 11:14*am, Martin Gregorie
wrote:

Apart from anything else, your hand should be on the release knob during
the launch

This is surprising to me -- a non-winch-qualified pilot. *Do you do
the same for aero tow?

-T8

It's a good idea for aero tow. We can all think of accidents where a
life would have been saved if the pilot had pulled the release before
becoming airborne. It's not only where you put your hand, it's also a
mindset to pull off if something doesn't feel right.

For example, there are several accidents over the years where pilots
took off with disconnected controls. It's much easier to tow a glider
back to the start line than sweep up the pieces.